I’ve attempted many times only to have soggy, limp fries as result. So totally NOT cool.

I’m not saying this is a sure fix. BUT I have found that the smaller, thinner fry + a good time in the oven is almost a sure bet. Who doesn’t like a sure bet?

Unfortunately yet fortunately I’m the only one who likes sweet potato fries. I KNOW RIGHT? What’s not to love? They’re so much better for you than regular potato french fries and uhhh c’mon they’re much prettier too! Sad for them… more for me!

While I don’t think there is a fool-proof way to crispy sweet potatoes into fries… this way is close and it will definitely yield tasty fries. Give this method a whirl and lemme know how it goes.

Start by scrubbing two to three medium-ish {like the size of your hand} sweet potatoes. Nothing ginormous…

Peel… I like to leave a little bit of the peel on for a rustic look.

Trim of the ends of the sweet potato and slice a bit off of the bottom so it will lay flat. Cut into discs and then slice those into fries. If you get super long pieces, cut those in half too.

Soak the fries in a bowl filled with cold water for an hour or two. I know what you’re thinking… BUT! Believe it or not, soak will remove the starch from the fries which will then help the fries crisp. I’ve read that it’s the starch that keeps the water retained into the potato fries and that’s why sweet potatoes {any potato really} will be soggy when baked! Exciting stuff, right?

Rinse the fries under water…

Towel dry…

Throw them onto a large, rimmed sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. I guesstimate it to be around 2 to 3 tablespoons.

For these spicy sweet potato fries I season them with a half tablespoon of chili powder…

A half tablespoon of cumin…

A half teaspoon of garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne. For less spicy fries, cut the cayenne down to a 1/4 teaspoon.

Toss them all around with your impeccably clean hands, divide them between two sheet pans and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Pull them out let them cool a bit if a few are stuck to the pan. Toss and continue the whole process at 5-10 minute increments until the fries are crispy. If you notice some fries are crisping quicker than others… remove them and continue to bake the rest until all are crispy. Then you can always add the fries that crisped soon to the sheet pan to reheat in the oven.

Of course I don’t mind my fries with a little char…

Just make sure you season the baked sweet potato fries with a few pinches of kosher salt before serving! Delicious!

Now any ideas on how I can get my girls to eat and love these as much as I do… do tell!

Enjoy! And if you give these baked sweet potato fries a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

My cookbook Simply Scratch : 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy is now available! CLICK HERE for details and THANK YOU in advance!

Directions:

In a large bowl combine the chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne. Set the bowl off to the side.

Towel-dry the sweet potato fries and place them into the bowl with the seasoning. Pour in the two tablespoons of olive oil and toss until coated.

Divide the seasoned sweet potato fries among two rimmed sheet pans and pop them into the oven for 15 minutes. Once the fries start to brown flip, rotate pans and continue to bake for 5-10 minutes more. Depending on how thin or thick you cut the sweet potatoes and the heat of your oven will depend on if they’ll need any further time in the oven. If the sweet potatoes stick, let them cool slightly before flipping. Keep a close eye on sweet potato fries as they always want to burn when you aren't looking.

Season the hot fries with a couple pinches of kosher salt before serving.

soaking them in water definitely helps, but what i found to help the most in making super crispy sweet potato fries is to toss them in a bit of whipped up egg whites (sounds gross, but trust me here!), just make sure to seriously grease your pan or they will stick!

I love that you baked your fries and they turned out that crispy!!! I hate frying so much, so I only bake my fries. Definitely need to try the soaking method….it totally makes sense! LOVE this recipe Laurie!

Can you believe that I’m the only one in my household that likes sweet potatoes? Which is good because I get to eat them all, and bad because…. then I eat them all.
ANd I would ALL of those without feeling bad at all.

I don’t usually comment on your blog (though it’s one of my favorites!) but these look great! Baked sweet potato fries are one of my favorite foods. Have you tried baking them with a little honey? The honey crisps them up so they caramelize on the outside really well, and it complements the spice/heat of the cayenne and cumin nicely — it’s my go-to way of preparing them. I’ll have to try the soaking method too!

Being a Southener, I’ve grown up eating baked sweet potatoes with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar. Besides the good spices you have selected, try adding a little brown sugar. It is delicious! Your girls may even agree. Sweet potato fries never tasted right until I started adding the little bit of sugar.

I just tried these using “spiralized” sweet potatoes. They did not get crispy and the spices were a bit heavy for me, masking the sweet potato taste. Any help as far as why they didn’t crisp up? Thanks!

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